Review: Man or Bear, Fringe 2026

Man or Bear is a darkly devastating and powerful play about three women, unveiling the different faces of violence and abuse women face on a continual daily basis, starring Lesley Ewen, Amaia Naima Aguinaga, and Katie Hurley. 

Much like the popular TikTok video that started the whole trend, it begs the question: if you were stuck in a forest, would you choose a man or a bear? Well, this show definitely makes you want to choose the bear.

Vibe

The vibe is set when the show starts with the idea of police presence on a street with terraced houses: no. 66. There are blue lights – but it’s too late for the sirens. Straight away, we know someone has died.

Following the story of Paige, her daughter Angel, their cat, and Connie the landlady, Man or Bear contains strong overall themes of abuse, survival, resilience and solidarity. It’s dark, sad, a little bit funny, with some surreal teddybear interludes to lighten the mood a bit.

Performance

For me, this one of the standout performances of Fringe 2026. The format is simple yet effective, with conversations that take place between the characters as their stories become clear. Paige is running away from Sam, an abusive partner who had imprisoned her with coercive control, along with financial and emotional abuse. Angel is trying to get to grips with a new school and making new friends, like TJ, a guy she’s just met, who she catches abusing another girl.

Connie, the landlady, is trying to make life as easy as possible for them both, whilst dealing with creepy Neil, the judgemental homophobic handyman with no respect for boundaries who clearly has eyes on her.

Ewen’s acting is so on point and particularly good as getting the sinister across when she switches to the character of Sam. She makes you feel incredibly uncomfortable, because you know exactly the type of man Sam is. ‘A good man’, people say. Spoiler: he’s not, despite the fact we know he never beat Paige or abused Angel.

Angel’s school project about women and girls is an incredible, expressive moment from a young woman who has already had quite enough, thank you very much. Her friend doesn’t want to speak about what’s happened, or report it to the police, but just wants to quietly brush it under the carpet, like so many of us are expected to do. I myself have been a girl like that. Watching it hurts.

I really enjoyed the more lighthearted bear moments, where one of the cast members (they all take turns) dons a fluffy bear head and does a bit of a dance to the theme of Teddy Bear’s Picnic – whilst giving out teddy bears to the audience. It’s comic relief.

I also really enjoyed the cast dancing to DJ Luck and MC Neat‘s With a Little Bit of Luck We Can Make it Through the Night. It’s unexpected but utterly joyful. I do think the show needs that to give us all a bit of respite from the devastating gradual buildup of consequences and from what we know (from the show’s start) is coming.

Well… I didn’t know all of it was coming. There’s a turning point where the show takes such a shocking turn that you know there’s no going back, and it’s devastating, horrifying and no longer in the slightly bit funny. Not ashamed to say, I cried. Perhaps the most devastating thing is, we know it’s not just a story; it’s an all-too-familiar narrative we hear about women experiencing every single day.

Overall

Man or Bear packs a gut punch, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to absolutely anyone. Perfected acted, paced and narrated and balanced throughout, what a triumph of a show this is – it’s definitely one that’s going to stick with me, and I’ve been thinking about it a lot since I watched it.